Empty Tanks

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Friday morning when I did my water changes I moved some fish around and I now have two empty five gallons . It's been a long time since I've had a Betta and I want one. I think it's good to have at least one tank with a single specimen fish that you just zone out with and look at. In the other five I saved three pond snails from a small (3 gallons or so) Top Fin tank that I inherited from disinterested Granddaughters. That five sits by a north facing window and has the best growth of fuzzy green algae I've ever seen. Both fives have a nice growth of my floating Microsorium pteropus Java Fern too. It's been awhile since I've stood at the precipice of a frontier. It might also be time for the Nothobranchius guentheri I've been thinking about.

 

[GaryE]

How could you make up such a disturbing title for a thread? Empty tanks? It's like a horror movie.

When in doubt, I go for something I have never kept before. A 5 is small though. Not many options there.

 

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But not empty for long. I like five gallons. I think they are great for lots of fish. You can keep and breed a number of Killifish in them. Pseudepiplatys annulatus really stands out to me as the perfect denizen in a five gallon , along with all of the Nothobranchius species. I believe the five gallon is the aquarium of choice for most Killifish breeders , it certainly was for the Legendary Ed Warner. Besides all that, in my declining years I can still horse one around.

 

[GaryE]

I use 5s for fry, and 10s, end out, for adults. But I am considering bringing some of the 5s I have stacked empty into use for breeding killies. My problem is that I have large hands, and I find it a pain to work in small tanks. I keep telling myself to drill some 5s and make a water change system, but I haven't gone there yet. This summer, I'm going to try to make a hands free overflow system so I can do water changes with a valve.
In 10s, it's easier for females to get away from pesky guys, and water changes with a siphon are a breeze. But I have to wrap my head around being retired and having time to do projects. It's still at the "this feels weird, what else am I supposed to be doing" phase.
Part of having 10s was for when work went crazy and I had to stretch the time between water changes. Two 2 inch fish in a 10 gallon were easier to manage.
Ed Warner was a very good man. For those who don't know, he was a really skilled American killie breeder who would go out of his way to get killies to new keepers. He wrote and self published a good beginners' book on the fish. Ruth, his wife, was also superb at killie keeping, and just as generous. She mentored many fishkeepers after Ed was gone, and, no doubt, while he was still alive.

 

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@GaryE I got my copy of "Success With Killifish" from Ruth Warner and she very graciously wrote a personal note to me in it. It is my most treasured aquarium book. There are stories about Ed and Ruth Warner I've read that are amazing describing their helpfulness and generosity. In the niche of our hobby that is Killifish keeping and breeding , a tiny niche rarely explored by most , the important contribution of Ed and Ruth Warner cannot be forgotten. I sincerely hope that there are up and comers in that mold among us today.